Having survived the brutal lashings of a violent storm the previous night, where thunder seemed to make the very ground below our tent quake with fear, we awoke to find ourselves pitched in a beautiful forest glade on the edge of Thungutti campground.
With total disregard for the weather - mingled with tiredness and irritation at having to set up TWO tents in the dark after discovering our primary shelter had a broken pole - much of our gear had been strewn about the campsite the previous evening, and was now thoroughly saturated. I had tossed my new tent into the car on a whim, but now we would be relying on in this tiny sheet of canvas to house us for the next week.
Taking advantage of (what I suspected to be) fleeting fine weather, I took to wandering around the campsite and exploring the picturesque creek nearby.
Having decided our first walk at New England National Park should also be the easiest, Tea Tree Falls got the nod to receive our virgin boots on the first morning here.
Starting out from Thungutti campground, the track leads gradually uphill through a changing mosaic of vegetation, from open forests of towering eucalyptus trees, banksias and ferns to temperate forests swathed in hanging moss. Ferns were also in rich abundance along the banks of Styx River and other streamlets as we crossed backwards and forwards over them on our way to Tom's Cabin.
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| Now, let me show you something... |
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| Are you sure this is safe? |
The track was a little damp and slippery in places, but considering it had stormed the previous night it was in pretty good nick.
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| Slippery river crossing made trickier by the bridge's hazardous incline |
A highlight of the walk is the variety and types of moss we encountered (I'm no taxonomist but these all looked pretty moss-like to me).
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| Entering a world of hanging moss gardens, near Tom's Cabin |
At times we could hear the sound of rushing water, but with no obvious alternative to beating through the scrub to find their source, most of the waterfalls remained hidden from us.
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| Here's one we did find at a lovely spot just down from the main track |
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| Taking a break on the Tea Tree Falls walk |
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